Prior to the present invention, it was well known that cargo shipping containers have been supported on and connected to railway-type flat cars, flat bed trucks, as well as other lading-type transport vehicles such as ocean going vessels. The equipment that was normally used as supporting members for these shipping containers usually consisted of pedestals which were manually adjustable along the length of the deck portion of the particular transport vehicle being used. The manual adjustment required normally will depend upon the overall length of the shipping container to be supported.
However, because the locking mechanisms that have been used to secure such shipping containers to the support pedestals are supplied by different manufacturers, such support pedestals will not work with each style locking mechanism that is presently available for use, in this particular application, in the transportation industry. Even though such pedestals normally support these shipping containers adjacent the corners, there are specific operating conditions that can be encountered in which additional support is required. Consequently, such pedestals have been used to support such shipping containers intermediate the ends thereof as well as at their corners.
As is generally well known in the art, such cargo shipping containers can be of various lengths and shapes. If, for example, these cargo shipping containers are to be used at sea, then they may require a special shape.
In addition, the flat bottom-type vehicles used for transporting these shipping containers over land have, in most cases, been adapted to carry more than one such shipping container, for example, such shipping containers may be stacked two high on such vehicles in certain instances. This is particularly the case, for example, in the railway industry. In fact, in this industry rail cars have been specifically designed for use in this particular application. One example of a pedestal-type cargo shipping container locking device and support is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,032. Another example is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,701 and still another example is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,672.
Taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,032 is a cargo shipping container retaining apparatus specifically designed for a transporting vehicle having a flat deck. This particular retaining apparatus requires that such shipping container have a corner fitting disposed on at least each of the four corners thereof. Furthermore, these corner fittings are required to be in substantially the same horizontal plane. As shown in this reference, these corner fittings include a slot-like portion which receives a latch lever therein for locking the shipping container to the deck portion of the transport vehicle. A separate support pedestal is provided in order to releasably support each corner of such shipping container. The support pedestal includes a frame member having a base portion, a platform portion spaced above such base portion, and end and side wall portions extending vertically of such platform portion and conforming to a corner fitting as the shipping container is lowered onto the platform portion. At least one of the side wall portions includes a slot-like portion formed therein. Such slot-like portion extends vertically along such at least one side wall portion. A latch lever extends along the slot-like portion between parallel walls which form such slot-like portion. Also provided in this retaining apparatus is a variable pivot for the latch lever. Such variable pivot enables pivoting such latch lever between the parallel walls of the slot-like portion. In this manner, the latch lever can move into such slot-like portion and into latching engagement with an associated corner fitting disposed on such shipping container. The latch lever has an inwardly extending upper end portion. This upper end portion includes an upwardly facing strike surface. The lower end portion of such latch lever extends a substantial distance beneath the platform. This device also includes a compression spring that engages the lower end portion of the latching lever. Such compression spring is provided to bias the latching lever to engage the strike surface with a corner fitting as the shipping container is lowered onto such platform. The compression spring has a moveable seat member disposed adjacent the lower end of the latching lever and a saddle member disposed on the end that is opposite the moveable seat member. Such saddle member being adjacent the lower end portion of the latch lever. A stationary seat member is provided at the outermost end of such compression spring. The saddle member is positioned for bearing engagement with the lower end portion of the latching lever. The moveable seat member for the compression spring includes a leg portion which extends along the compression spring for at least a portion of the length thereof and a lock bar member engageable with such leg portion. Such lock bar member reacts against the moveable seat member and an adjacent wall defining a slot. In this manner, compression of the spring is prevented and thereby securely locking the latch lever from accidentally moving to an undesired release position during service is achieved.
Taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,701 is a fastener device for engagement with a corner casting of a cargo shipping container to secure such shipping container to a flat support of a transport vehicle. As taught therein, this corner casting is hollow and has a planar surface abutting and parallel to such flat support of the transport vehicle. This fastener device includes a hook member that is adapted to penetrate an aperture defined through such planar surface and a pivot means for coupling such hook member to the flat support.
Such pivot means being moveable parallel to the planar surface relative to the flat support. This arrangement enables movement of the hook member from a first position located outside the corner casting disposed on such shipping container to a second position of penetration of the corner casting. In this manner, locking a wall of the corner casting between the hook member and the flat support is achieved. Additionally, such pivot means maintains a constant spacial interval from a pivot point to the planar surface during all positions of penetration of the hook member into such aperture. As a result, during operation, such moveable pivot means allows the point of attack of the hook member penetrating into such aperture to be varied in a manner to match the position and orientation of the aperture. Such penetration of the aperture by the hook member is achieved without towards and away movement of the pivot point from such planar surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,672 teaches a wide body type shipping container that is attached for engagement with certain wide body shipping container support mechanisms on various types of transport vehicles. This is accomplished by providing a plurality of adapters moveably mounted with respect to supporting points disposed on the bottom portion of the wide body shipping containers. Each such adapter is moveable to a position beneath the shipping container supporting point and is engageable therewith in a manner that defines a new supporting structure. This new supporting structure is spaced laterally inward from the outermost surface of the wide body shipping container so as to permit coupling of the wide body shipping container to a standard width container support.